Emergent
Church guru Tony Jones, the former national coordinator of Emergent
Village, has been holding the issue of homosexuality “in abeyance”
because “homosexuality is one issue that I don’t want to
get wrong.” On November 23 he came out with his personal view
on this hotly debated topic.

Drum
roll please…… He’s for it.

After
years of pondering and praying, praying and pondering, he managed to
come up with the wrong answer. How do I know this? Because his “revelation”
doesn’t line up with Scripture.

Evidently
what the Bible teaches on sodomy made Tony feel uncomfortable, so he
decided to hold back his opinion until he could come to terms with what
he was “feeling.” I say “feeling” because his
conclusion doesn’t comport with the written Word of God, which
he professes a belief in, but decides things from his gut, I guess.
Heaven forbid he should offend the “gay” community!

On
Tony’s “blogalogue” he wrote a carefully crafted statement
to start the “conversation” rolling -- with no mention of
Scripture to back up his “enlightened” view. Before Tony
gets to the point, he shares his personal story and tells how he viewed
homosexuality in his early years. He wasn’t a conservative, nor
was he a liberal; he says he “pretty much walked the middle of
the road.”

I
have to commend Tony for admitting he was wishy-washy on the issue of
sodomy. Problem is, our pastors and leaders aren’t supposed to
be spiritual wimps. All Christians are to boldly “contend
for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude
1:3).

Jones
also admits that he understood the biblical prohibitions to sodomy:

“I've
always thought that all persons should be afforded the same rights and
no one should be discriminated against. But I also knew that the biblical
prohibitions to homosexual sex should be taken seriously. And I remember
quite a few debates in which I argued against homosexuality using the
argument from natural law, the book of Genesis, and my own pithy deal-closer,
"Look, the parts don't fit. The plumbing's not right. That's
how we know how God feels about it." (Emphasis his.) [1]

Then
he drops this bombshell:

“And
yet, all the time I could feel myself drifting toward acceptance that
gay persons are fully human persons and should be afforded all of the
cultural and ecclesial benefits that I am. ("Aha!" my critics
will laugh derisively, "I knew he and his ilk were on a continuous
leftward slide!")”

I’m
one critic who’s not laughing derisively. In fact, I’m not
laughing at all. I find it unfunny, and profoundly troubling, that a
former pastor who holds a doctorate from prestigious Princeton Theological
Seminary does not have a simple grasp of the Bible’s clear teaching
on same-sex sex. I also find it troubling that a leader in the ECM,
who has a ton of influence with young people, would lend his support
to same-sex “marriage” knowing full well that many undiscerning
Christians will adopt his “progressive” view on the subject,
simply because they hold him in high regard. “The problem is,”
said Ravi Zacharias, "non critical people listening to this stuff
absorb it."

What
people are absorbing from emergents isn’t authentic Christianity,
it’s neo-evangelicalism. In other words, liberalism. I’ve
covered the ECM in past columns. To find out more, read “Emergent
Church Spreading Spiritual Cancer” [2] or watch Roger Oakland’s
video on YouTube. [3]

“Liberalism…is
not Christianity at all, or, at best, a corrupt version. As J. Gresham
Machen argued so eloquently in the last century, liberal Christianity
has many appealing features, and much to commend it. In many ways it
is a quite fascinating and alluring religion. It even uses all the language
of Christianity and holds Jesus in high esteem. But for all that, liberal
Christianity just isn’t Christianity. Indeed, Machen argued, it’s
not even close.” [4]

Tony
Jones’ version of Christianity is corrupt. What he professes is
not the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, the ECM has all the earmarks
of a cult – what Dr. Walter Martin called the “cult of liberal
theology.” (Look for more on cults in a future article.)

I’m
sure many people found it puzzling that Tony referred to homosexuals
as “fully human persons.” (Actually, all sinners
are fully human persons.) Why did he borrow a term that’s used
by the pro-life movement to describe pre-born babies? “Gays”
are obviously fully human (as are pre-born babies) so is he saying that
those who don’t support same-sex “marriage” are denying
their humanity? Or was he simply pointing out that some Christians think
homosexuals are subhuman? A small minority of Christians who oppose
homosexuality may feel that way, however, it’s not only wrong
headed to believe homosexuals are subhuman, it’s that kind of
thinking that does great damage to the cause of Christ!

Equally
disgraceful is the fact that many professing Christians believe that
a baby in the womb is not a fully human person until it’s able
to breathe on its own! These same “Christians” believe they
alone have the right to choose whether or not a pre-born baby
is allowed to live or die. They will vehemently defend the right of
“gay” couples to marry, yet when it comes to defenseless
babies, they’re voices are silent. But I digress.

Historic
orthodox Christianity holds that God’s people must “love
thy neighbor as thyself.” Translated, this means we are to love
all human persons. It’s a commandment, not a suggestion. So out
of love for homosexuals, followers of Jesus Christ must gently tell
them of the transforming power of Jesus. (1 Pet. 3:15) Believers are
also commanded to pray for those who are in bondage to sin….because
prayer changes things. Militant “gay” activists don’t
want the public to know that it’s possible for a homosexual, who
is in bondage to sin, to “change,” his/her orientation.
It’s a fact that many men and women have left the homosexual lifestyle
and are now straight. (For proof of this, visit the ex-gay website,
PFOX)

Evidently
Tony Jones doesn’t believe in God’s transforming power as
he has now concluded that Christians must embrace homosexuality:

“I
now believe that GLBTQ can live lives in accord with biblical Christianity
(at least as much as any of us can!) and that their monogamy can and
should be sanctioned and blessed by church and state.”

For
those who have never heard of GLBTQ, it’s an acronym for Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Questioning.

Without
getting too far afield, it’s impossible for a practicing homosexual,
a bisexual or a transgender person to live in accord with biblical Christianity.
(See Lev. 18:22, Lev. 20:13, Rom. 1:26-28, 1 Cor. 6:9-10.) The fact
is, Scripture teaches that it’s a sin to have sex outside the
bonds of marriage. GLBTQ behavior is “against nature” and
“unseemly.” (Rom.
1:26-28) My point is that for the serious Christian, manmade (unbiblical)
laws should have no bearing on how we think about someone’s “sexual
orientation.” A Christian’s marching orders come from God!

Unfortunately,
in our postmodern culture all too many so-called Christians accept what
the culture deems the “norm” instead of looking to the Bible
to see what God says is legitimate and acceptable! If the Bible expressly
forbids something, then it’s wrong to engage in it. Not only that,
it’s a slap in the face to Christ to condone what He condemns!

How
could a Bible-believing Christian not know that the scriptures make
a strong statement on homosexuality -- God forbids it! With that in
mind, the “conversation” believers in Christ should be having
is how we can best articulate a Christian worldview on the hotly debated
issues, instead of tossing God’s Word into the junk heap and embracing
the cult of political correctness.

Getting
back to Tony Jones’ “blogalogue,” I’m sorry
to say that in winding it up he felt it necessary to make this rather
flippant remark:

“Well,
I suppose this blogalogue will be a test of whether I have good theological
and philosophical reasons for supporting the rights of GLBTQ persons
to marry, or whether I've simply caved to the mushy inclusivity of pluralized
nothingness. In either case…I'm looking forward to this conversation,
and I'm praying that it is ultimately glorifying of God.”

Jesus
made this hard statement regarding prayer:

“Now
we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper
of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth” (John 9:31).

Regarding
God’s will, here are a couple of questions people of faith need
to ask themselves: Is it God’s will for human beings to change
His rules (as stated in the Bible) because some rules seem outdated,
intolerant, hateful, unfeasible, hard to follow, silly, etc.? Is it
God’s will for people to decide what is morally right and wrong
based on, not what the Bible teaches, but on how they “feel”
about certain issues?

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Stunningly,
Tony Jones’ new found beliefs on same-sex sex are not based on
what God’s Word says. What he has come to believe is born out
of his compassion for those who struggle with same-sex attractions.
Like many neo-evangelicals, he has bought into the liberal theology
that trusts in a person’s “feelings” rather than trusting
in God. By disregarding the plain teaching of Scripture, and continuing
his leftward slide, Tony Jones has shown himself untrustworthy and a
false teacher.

A
word of warning: Engaging in a theological “conversation”
with a wiley false teacher can lead you into dangerous waters. The sad
fact is that many who follow the teaching of charismatic religious leaders,
speakers and writers, are drowning in a sea of apostasy! Take for example
emergent Pastor and author Brian McLaren. Much of his teaching is highly
unorthodox. For one thing, he has called the doctrine of hell and the
cross “false advertising for God.” Not only that, in an
interview with “Time Magazine” a few years ago, he spouted
his unbiblical view on homosexuality:

“Frankly,
many of us don't know what we should think about homosexuality. We've
heard all sides but no position has yet won our confidence so that we
can say 'it seems good to the Holy Spirit and us.' That alienates us
from both the liberals and conservatives who seem to know exactly what
we should think." [5]

Because
he doesn’t know what to think about the practice of sodomy, he
suggested a five-year moratorium on making pronouncements. In the meantime:

“[W]e'll
practice prayerful Christian dialogue, listening respectfully, disagreeing
agreeably. When decisions need to be made, they'll be admittedly provisional.
We'll keep our ears attuned to scholars in biblical studies, theology,
ethics, psychology, genetics, sociology, and related fields. Then in
five years, if we have clarity, we'll speak; if not, we'll set another
five years for ongoing reflection." [6]

McLaren,
who prides himself on representing “a more intellectual approach
to Christianity” ridicules Christian fundamentalists:

“I
don’t dislike fundamentalists, taken individually--they tend to
be pretty nice folks. Get them together in a group though, and I get
nervous. I start to twitch and break out in a rash.” [7]

Since
McLaren obviously believes the Bible is foolish and inconsequential
perhaps it’s the Lord who is causing him to twitch and break out
in a rash!

Thanks
to Tony Jones the dialogue on what to think about homosexuality has
ceased. Will Brian and other emergent gurus join forces with Tony or
with orthodox Bible scholars? Time will tell.

In
the meantime, some emergents will continue the “conversation”
on homosexuality, knowing full well that people are dying -- and some
of them are headed straight to hell! Somehow they miss the urgency.
Christians who believe the Bible’s teaching on hell must get out
of their comfort zones and lovingly confront anyone who is in rebellion
against God. Sure, Jesus palled around with sinners, but He never condoned
their sin, nor did He tell the apostles to listen to the so-called experts,
then after five or ten years decide what is, and is not, sin! The One
who spoke the universe into existence and remains sovereign over His
creation is the real expert on determining what sin is. Thankfully,
He did not leave it up to sinful humans, who carry around more baggage
than the airlines, to decide!

So,
then, should conservative Christians worry about the ECM’s unorthodox
teaching and their continual attacks against the historic fundamentals
of the faith? Would it be better to just ignore these people and pray
that the movement will soon fade away? Or should we fight it tooth and
nail?

“Let’s
not be confused here nor be too hasty to dismiss Tony Jones’ influence
not only within the emergent church, but within the broader professing
church itself. It’s easy to think; “Well, he’s only
one guy and there is a lot of bad teaching out there,” but if
you’re a discerning Christian you will have noticed by now that
the post-modern vain philosophies of the emergent/emerging church are
deeply infecting the Biblically illiterate youth of our day who are
being fed a steady diet of spiritual poison while sitting under the
teaching of hirelings. Men like Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, Rob Bell, Dan
Kimball and Brian McLaren are influencing an entire generation to embrace
vain traditions and a re-imagined theology that runs contrary to the
historic, orthodox tenets which are fundamental to
the Christian faith itself! This is nothing less than a Counter-Reformation!”
[8]

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I’ll
close with a quote from renowned theologian, Dr. R.C. Sproul:

In
every age the church is threatened by heresy, and heresy is bound up
in false doctrine. It is the desire of all heretics to minimize the
importance of doctrine. When doctrine is minimized, heresy can exercise
itself without restraint.

Marsha
West is the Founder and Editor of Email
Brigade News Report, an online news service for conservative people
of faith. Marsha is a freelance writer whose main focus is on religious
and cultural issues. She is a regular contributor to NewsWithViews.com;
TheConservativevoice; RenewAmerica; Christianworldviewnetwork; Webcommentary
and other popular websites. Her writings have also appeared on WorldnetDaily;
Canadafreepress; AmericanDaily and several Christian periodicals.

Marsha loves
to write fiction for the younger generation. She is currently writing
a series of books about an average Christian family and the cultural issues
they face. Her books equip kids to defend their faith and live for Christ.